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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · last · shower · net · hide · fine · object · snap

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. last — final
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — to go on
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fine — high quality
  9. object — an aim
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. snap — to click
  13. shower — to wash
  14. object — to protest
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. object — a thing
  19. last — finally
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. net — for catching
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com